lovely

see, i’ve felt this stirring in my soul for weeks now. it’s truth, but it’s a hard truth, one that’s easy to forget, easy to let slip away. still, it will not let me go–that’s the thing about truth. it won’t allow itself to be ignored.

and so i keep circling around it, keep coming back to the same thing, the same message. truth must be told, you see. and so here we are.

what i want to tell you is this: you may be many things, but a number is not one them. the world, the media, the culture might try to tell you otherwise, but you cannot fall into that trap. don’t let yourself go there.

let me repeat myself, once more for good measure. you may be many things, but a number is not one of them.

you are not your weight. not your dress size. not your age. not your credit score. not your bank account balance. not the items checked off on your to-do list. not your trophies or medals or awards. not the letters before or after your name. not the references on your résumé. not your following on social media. not the number of times you’ve been asked on a date, or the number of times you’ve been kissed. not your GPA. not the days it’s been since you last had a drink. not the relationships you’ve been in.

these things are quantifiable. but you?

you have stars in your eyes and a fire in your soul. you have big dreams, and you’re reaching for them. you’re strong, even when you feel like you can’t take another step. hear me when i say that sometimes victory looks like just making it through the day. just making it; sometimes, that’s enough. i promise.

you’re brave, and you take risks, and you do hard things. you make a difference everywhere you go. your smile makes someone’s day. your voice and your story are important, and we all want to hear it because you matter, and we want to know you more. you love big and love hard, and the world is a better place just for having you in it.

numbers cannot, will not, contain you.

whoever told you that your worth is summed up in digits is a liar. whoever tried to take you and all your complexities–all your beauty and bravery, your guts and grit, your sparkle and shine–and shove them in to make them fit some mold was wrong.

you are everything good and beautiful and strong and kind and witty and smart and lovely. do you hear me? lovely, that is what you are. that’s your new name, your new identity. try that word on for me, will you? slip yourself into it, move around a little bit, see how it feels. that’s it. lovely. remember that. lovely. look at yourself all wrapped up in this word. lovely. that’s you, i promise. lovely. that’s your truth now.